Looking online for info on your child’s health? Read this

Here are some tips from the experts on how to find and use that information.

Posted On: February 23, 2019

Many parents can be anxious when their child is sick. So looking online for health information can help them understand their child’s medical condition and take an active role in treatment. Seeking health information can also be a coping strategy for parents coming to terms with their child’s illness.

Parents have reported being worried about whether the online health information they find is reliable and relevant, and are concerned about the possibility of misdiagnosis. They can also feel overwhelmed by the amount of information online, which can be difficult to understand.

Just more than half of the parents we surveyed for a recent study were hesitant to act on, or present the information they found online, to the treating doctor. This was despite the fact 73 per cent believed the information influenced the questions they asked the doctor.

Previous studies have highlighted barriers to parents discussing their online research with doctors. They include finding a suitable time, given the doctor’s high workload, and a fear of being perceived as “bossy”, “a whinger”, “difficult” or “pushy”.

Other difficulties may arise if the doctor lacks interest in the information parents find because they believe it lacks credibility or is irrelevant.

A 2015 study found that, of the 110 parents of children with cancer who searched for online medical information, only 47 per cent shared it with their child’s oncologist, but around 86 per cent would have liked to have done so.

Unlike doctors, parents aren’t trained in how to verify the information they find. When seeking health information online or in parenting forums, it’s important to make sure it’s credible and discuss it with the doctor.

Parents looking for information

Our interviews with parents found online health information can provide reassurance and improve adherence to treatment.

Seeking health information can be a coping strategy for parents coming to terms with their child’s illness.from shutterstock.com

We surveyed 308 parents of sick children at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. We found 90% of parents searched for health information online. Of these, almost all (95%) looked for information after seeing their child’s doctor and many (63%) did so beforehand.

Some parents, especially those aged under 45, used online parenting forums (29%) or social media such as Facebook (27%) for health information.

Most parents (88%) who went online for health information before seeing the doctor wanted to prepare questions. Most (84%) wanted to find out what their child’s medical condition might be.

Of the parents who searched for information after seeing their child’s doctor, 94% wanted to know more about their child’s condition and 90% had more questions after thinking about what the doctor said.

Where to look

Only some parents (29 per cent) believed the health information they found online was correct and just 61 per cent understood it. Only a little more than half (57 per cent) investigated to see if a website, app or Facebook group was trustworthy before accepting or using the information.

Most parents said they wanted help searching for (69 per cent) and assessing (77 per cent) the trustworthiness of online health information.

The Mayo Clinic features the HONcode logo, showing it’s a trustworthy source of information.Screenshot/Mayo Clinic

Parents can ask their child’s doctor to recommend a website so they can find out more about their child’s medical condition. And they can discuss with the doctor whether the online information they find is trustworthy and relevant.

Some online health information or advice from parenting forums may be untrustworthy, irrelevant to the child’s condition or incorrect. This can lead to misinformation, potentially harming the child and increasing parents’ anxiety and guilt.

When looking up health information online, parents can remember it’s more likely to be trustworthy if it’s on websites that are: